BaccalaureatePublic

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

North Adams, Massachusetts·Public, 4-year or above·New England·mcla.edu
6-yr Graduation
56%
-5.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
896
peer median 1,151
Avg net price
$16,068
+$127 vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
1,208
1,208 candidates competed
Admitted
1,084
89.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
125
11.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
56%-5.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
46%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
56%
Full-time retention
76%

Pell equity

20.0pp gap
Pell recipients
45%54 of 120
Non-Pell (all)
65%89 of 137
Subsidized loan, no Pell
70%47 of 67
No Federal Aid
60%42 of 70

Non-Pell students graduate at a 20.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 39 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 30 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
39
Passing
9
23.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

39programs
  • Passing9 · 23.1%
  • No Data30 · 76.9%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
2
Safe
5
No data
30

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

9
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+1.3%
$39,955 vs $39,449
Arts Entertainment and Media Management
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+9.0%
$42,983 vs $39,449
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+11.9%
$44,136 vs $39,449
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Other
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+19.6%
$47,162 vs $39,449
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+26.3%
$49,826 vs $39,449
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+30.8%
$60,664 vs $46,391
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+33.9%
$52,808 vs $39,449
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+36.3%
$53,753 vs $39,449

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+1.3%
+$506

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

7
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
58%
$25,750 debt · $44,136 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
58%
$23,250 debt · $39,955 earn
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Other
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
49%
$22,875 debt · $47,162 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
47%
$23,149 debt · $49,826 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
43%
$23,354 debt · $53,753 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
40%
$20,940 debt · $52,808 earn
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
26%
$15,594 debt · $60,664 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1953Next review Jun 2034

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 5

  1. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  2. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  3. May 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  4. Jun 2019Grant Substantive Change: Ownership
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  5. Mar 2014Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$9,845
$30–48k$10,762
$48–75k$13,250
$75–110k$15,958
$110k+$22,698

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$16,068
+$127vs Baccalaureate median $15,942
Federal loans
60.8%
In-state tuition
$12,436
Out-of-state
$21,381

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 364 students received $2.1M in Pell grants, alongside $4.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
364
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.1M
$2,080,639 total
Direct Loans
$4.2M
898 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.4M
363 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.6M
444 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$411K
33 loan awards
Parent PLUS$752K
58 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 500 borrowers who entered repayment, 15 (3.0%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.0%
+0.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
500
Defaulted
15
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.1%
2017
6.4%
2018
3.4%
2019
3.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at MCLA

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs29
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

160 total completions
01Business
2616.3%
02Psychology
2213.8%
03Health Professions
2213.8%
04Education
1811.3%
05Visual/Performing Arts
159.4%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
148.8%
07Social Sciences
127.5%
08Computer Sciences
127.5%
09Biological Sciences
106.3%
10English Language
95.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
896
12-mo unduplicated
1,313
Undergraduate
1,144
Graduate
169

Gender split

Men
42%549
Women
58%764

Race / ethnicity composition

White
72.8%
Black
8.7%
Hispanic
6.7%
Two or more
5.1%
Unknown
3.2%
Asian
1.7%
Non-resident
1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
212
134 M · 78 W
Women athletes
36.8%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$2.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$17K
$14K
Head-coach salaries
$26K
$26K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Soccer
27 M · 22 W
$163K
Ice Hockey
26 M · 20 W
$324K
Baseball
35 M ·
$130K
Softball
· 22 W
$71K
Basketball
19 M ·
$98K
Lacrosse
16 M ·
$73K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.29
4 offenses · 933 students

3-year trend

5.032 yrs ago3.201 yr ago4.29Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
12
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
13
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
3
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
3
Rape
1

By location

4total
  • On campus4

Includes 4 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs05
Liquor011

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
8.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
78

MCLA vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions MCLA selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectMassachusetts College of Liberal Arts
56%896$16,068Baccalaureate
59%80.9%663$9,992Baccalaureate
100%2,012$15,815Baccalaureate
40%95.2%1,321$17,945Baccalaureate
63%74.9%981$8,837Baccalaureate
76%71.2%1,527$17,113Baccalaureate
Peer group median61%77.9%1,151$15,942

Institutions like MCLA

Explore the federal data for institutions in MCLA's comparison group.

MCLA Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Email
jason.canales [at] mcla.edu
Phone
413-662-5413
Address
375 Church St., North Adams, MA 01247

MCLA’s Office of Institutional Research is responsible for leading and coordinating comprehensive external and internal reporting and analysis, survey administration, and project management to support the mission of MCLA. Institutional Research works with campus partners to facilitate informed decision-making, lead data-driven planning, and promote the use of analytics to foster institutional effectiveness.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Jason Canales
    Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research

Common Data Set

MCLA's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Acceptance rate
92.3%
Accessible
Yield
13.5%
of admitted students enroll
Student–faculty ratio
8.0 to 1
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
1,543
Admitted
1,425
Enrolled
191

1,543 applied → 1,425 admitted (92.3%) → 191 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
92.3%

Accessible — 92.3% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
men90.3%
women93.4%
another gender50.0%

Admit rate varies by gender.

High-school class rank

C10
top tenth10%
top quarter35%
top half72%
bottom half28%
bottom quarter2%

Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important18
Rigor of secondary school recordClass rankAcademic GPAStandardized test scoresApplication EssayRecommendationInterviewExtracurricular activitiesTalent/abilityCharacter/personal qualitiesFirst generationAlumni/ae relationGeographical residenceState residencyReligious affiliation/commitmentVolunteer workWork experienceLevel of applicant’s interest

Relative importance of each admission factor.

02

Affordability & Value

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Institutional: Endowed scholarships, annual gifts and tuition funded grants, awarded by the college, excluding athletic aid and tuition waivers (which are reported below).34.7%
Federal32.9%
State all states, not only the state in which your institution is located28.1%
Scholarships/grants from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) not awarded by the college4.2%

0% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
80%
Avg debt
$28,294

80% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $28,294 on average.

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students135
10-19 students114
20-29 students46
30-39 students3
40-49 students1

83% of classes have under 20 students; 0% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
8.0 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
64%
Women faculty
52%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Business/marketing14.3%
Psychology12%
Social sciences11.1%
Interdisciplinary studies10.6%
Visual and performing arts10.6%
Health professions and related programs8.8%
English7.8%
Education4.1%

STEM-dominant: ~10% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

04

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
248
Admitted
224
Enrolled
90

248 transfer applicants → 224 admitted (90.3%) → 90 enrolled — more selective than first-year admission.

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about MCLA.

What is the graduation rate at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts?

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts reports a 6-year graduation rate of 56% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts?

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts reports a total enrollment of 896 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts?

The average net price at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is $16,068 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts?

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts's yield rate is 11.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts located?

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is located in North Adams, Massachusetts 01247-4100.

Who runs Institutional Research at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts?

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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